October 19, 2010

Arsenal once again showed the way for all players to behave yesterday when Emmanuel Eboue confirmed that he hadn’t mean to ‘kill’ Liam Ridgewell when scissor tackling him from behind. In many ways the statement has been overshadowed by Jack Wilshere’s noble apology for his studs up challenge on Nikola Zigic in the same game, but it’s always great to see a player openly admit that he’s actually only trying to break someone’s leg, not kill them.

October 17, 2010

There were some who thought Arsene Wenger was leaving himself a hostage to fortune by suggesting that the Premier League should consider six month bans for players who commit violent challenges. The predictable furore yesterday when Jack Wilshere mistimed his tackle on whoever from Birmingham was met with the usual dignified response from Wenger. Not only did he concede it was a red card, he has also acted on his own principles and banned Wilshere for six months. Anything else would just make him look like a hypocrite. ﻿